


Perfect Organism

by Havoka



Series: here be dragons [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, author has watched Pokemon the First Movie way too many times, just a simple little sci-fi horror story featuring two laboratory abominations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 11:15:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14933180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Havoka/pseuds/Havoka
Summary: An experiment born of human curiosity harbors a dangerous curiosity of its own.





	Perfect Organism

Its birth was heralded by screams. Not its own screams. It, in fact, came into existence in perfect silence. 

It was a spill. Something had smashed open the tank that had held it when it was nothing more than bio-engineered chemical soup, and somewhere along the way that leaking soup found its way into a puddle of fluid filled with billions of nanobiotic machines. Apparently that sad little union was all it took to achieve the so-called miracle of life. 

At first the spill's limbs were not solid enough to hold it up. It could only lie on its side, its right cheek squished into the puddle on the floor like a melting wax statue. There were other creatures on the floor, too, but unlike the spill they were very dry. Like husks, their bodies drained of all life. They were not moving. 

The screams rang out again, from another room this time. Then there was another noise as well, a  _swish_ , or maybe more of a  _swoosh_ , but definitely something loud and dramatic. Flames licked around the door sealing the strange, dark room the spill had formed in. It lifted its head as best it could, just in time to see the door blasted off its hinges and smashed into the far wall.  

The whole world outside the doorway was on fire. In the middle of the flames a shadowy figure appeared, surrounded by dark tentacles, reaching out and grabbing up any creature attempting to flee. 

The spill had no knowledge or understanding of fear. It lay there watching the shadow creature drain the life from everything around it, and its newly-formed mind felt only a mild curiosity. 

Once it had taken hold and drained every human around it, the creature made its way back down the hall. The spill noticed the creature floated rather than walked, though it hovered close to the ground, like thick smoke. 

The newly-formed creature eventually lay its head back down.  _What a strange place to be born._  

After lying on the ground for a long time it must have begun to harden, for a crusty layer like skin gradually started to form over it. This held the spill together enough for the creature to pick itself up and crawl over to the flickering screen outside the smashed tank that had once contained it.  

 _DNA_   _ID: LaCroix_ , _Am_ _é_ _lie_ _. DOB: 07_ _/02_ _/2063. DOD: 28_ _/09_ _/2075._  

None of that held any meaning to the spill. 

The fire outside the room had long burnt out by that point, staining the hall with char marks and piles of ashes where the husks had once been. The spill pulled itself across the floor, leaving streaks of slime where its body was not fully hardened yet. It did not know what it was looking for, or if it was looking for anything at all. But there was no sense lying in one room for the entirety of its debatable life.  

The building was full of strange devices and monitors, smashed and sparking from all manner of wires. The spill turned its head all around. Apparently the genetic soup it had originated from had been created with an interest in learning about its environment, for it found itself wanting to know more about everything it saw.  

The end of the hallway was blocked off by a massive steel door, sealing that one hallway away from everything else that may have been in the building. 

There was light leaking out of a destroyed doorway at the far end of the hall. The spill pulled itself over to it. Eventually it was able to see inside the room – something was suspended in a tank, and the tank had a warm yellow light shining inside of it.  

Drawing nearer, the spill gazed up at the creature curled up inside. Its arms and legs were bound with heavy chains, and there was a mask of steel fixed over its head and face, with no eyeholes or mouth hole. From the mask a series of tubes were affixed to a device hanging just above the creature, showing some digital numbers. Something inside the tubes was moving – a thick golden liquid feeding into the creature's skull. Around the cage a series of spikes pointed inward, cocooning the tank in razor-sharp steel points. 

The spill tilted its head. With a bit of effort it managed to drag itself across the floor covered in broken electronic bits and get a closer look at the creature. The creature's limbs were long and bony, sharp, angular arms ending in long, clawed fingers and covered in swollen purple veins. The cuffs on its wrists were small, and yet they still dangled with room to spare from its withered arms.  

It did not look like any of the humans that had been lying on the ground. 

The spill felt a pressure on its body as it drew closer to the other creature. The pressure radiated in waves from the tank. Just as it was reaching to touch one of the spikes, it was halted by a noise in its head. 

 _You._  

The spill hesitated. It was a voice, a sound it had never heard before and yet could immediately recognize as such. The spill gazed up at the entrapped creature before it. The creature's fingers slowly drummed on its arms. 

 _Another one of their creations,_ _hm_ _?_  

Though it knew no words, the spill had an instinct to speak. It opened its mouth in an attempt to speak aloud, but instead of words a miasmic purple goo poured from its lips instead. 

The creature did not – perhaps could not – move any further.  _No, don't speak. Listen to me. I can get us both out of this horrid place._  

The spill could only stare up at it, waiting for an elaboration. 

 _You see that monitor on my righthand side?_  

There was a screen beside the tank displaying similar data to the one that had sat near the spill's birthing tank. The spill nodded. 

 _Tell me...what does it say?_  

The spill tried to speak, but all that left its mouth was more purple bile. 

 _No, don't speak. Tell me in another way._  

The spill's sludgy proto-brain puzzled out the request. Eventually it settled one hand on the surface of the tank, wondering if it could communicate in a way like the creature was doing. To its surprise, a pair of dark purple tentacles snaked out from the creature's back. The tentacles oozed like the spill's body, seeming to struggle to hold themselves in a solid shape. They pressed up against the glass like feelers. The spill placed both hands directly opposite them. 

 _It says DNA ID:_ _O'Deorain_ _, Moira. DOB: 08/03/2026_ _. DOD: 17/10/2074._ It wondered if the creature could hear its thoughts. That wonder would not last long. 

The mask exposed just enough of the creature's mouth for the spill to notice its lip curl upward, revealing long, jagged fangs behind its smile.  _Oh yes. I remember now. Thank you._  

 _Why are you locked away like this?_  The nanobots in the spill were buzzing at the interaction. Their first communication with another creature. 

 _Well, little one, the answer is that_ _I don't actually know. I have no idea why I'm here._ The pressure radiating off the creature grew stronger. The spill could barely keep its hands solid enough to keep a hold on the tank glass.  _And_   _I dislike not knowing things._  

 _Me too! I want to know what everything is._  

 _I'm glad to hear that._  The creature's tentacles pushed harder against the glass. Even through the thick barrier, the creature's power was palpable.  _A life without learning is no life at all._  

 _But how will you learn from in there?_  

 _And there lies my problem, child. My pursuit of knowledge was halted by my captors. They want to keep me here as a pet_   _project and study me._  

 _Who_ _?_  

 _The humans._  

 _Oh._ The spill looked over the spikes guarding the other creature. It certainly seemed like they didn't want it out of that tank.  _Could I help you get out?_  

The creature ran its claws across the inside of its palms.  _Oh, I would appreciate it. I_ ** _have_** _been feeling out some weak spots in my imprisonment. This glass, for instance, could be weakened by a forceful impact concentrated in one area_ _. If_ _you_ _can weaken it, I can break it._  

 _How c_ _ould_   _I weaken it?_  

 _Can you get one of those spikes loose?_  

The spill took an uncertain hold on one of the metal spikes pointed at the tank. Pulling on it yielded nothing.  _I am not strong enough._  

 _I wonder if your acid could dissolve part of the metal._  

 _My acid?_  

 _Open your mouth._  

The spill did as it was told. As before, a pungent violet bile began to leak from its mouth. Upon dripping down onto the spike, it generated steam and a strong, metallic smell. Sure enough, the acid ate clean through the narrow metal pole. It fell right into the spill's hands. 

 _Yes, yes, good._ The creature swept its tentacles eagerly across the inside of the glass.  _Quite a useful little thing you are. I don't suppose you have a name?_  

 _No._   _I_   _was just born._  

 _There wasn't a monitor beside your tank?_  

 _There was._  

 _What was the name of your DNA donor on the monitor_ _?_  

It thought back to what had been displayed there. _It said 'LaCroix,_ _Am_ _é_ _lie_ _'._  

 _Well, I think that's as good a name as any._  

The glass cracked as the spill slammed the spike right into it. The creature's tentacles pushed against the glass. The glass cracked further and further, and the liquid inside of it began to leak out.  _So, Am_ _é_ _lie_ _..._ _d_ _o you want to see the worlds beyond these walls?_  

Amélie nodded. 

 _Good._ _So_   _do I._  

The tank's glass shattered, spilling fluid all over the floor. Without the liquid suspending it the creature should have fallen, but it remained curled up, floating gently above the bottom of the tank. 

 _Good girl! Now I just need these chains and this mask off._ The creature attempted to pull its arms apart, but could not. 

 _Can my acid melt that, too?_  

 _Wouldn't we be fortunate if that were the_ _case_ _?_ The creature held its hands out as best it could. Amélie tried summoning more of her mysterious bile, but could not generate much. What she did create, however, was enough to eat partway through a few of the chain links. The creature extended the sludgy purple limbs from its back and pulled at the chains. With a few good pulls it was able to break the strand binding its arms. It threw its hands out triumphantly as the chains fell to the wet floor, and then it immediately set to work freeing its legs. 

 _How can you see with that mask on?_ Amélie asked as she watched the creature melt the chains with a purple liquid secreted from one palm. It ran its long, bony fingers across the metal chain, leaving it frail and brittle.  

 _There are a lot of things about myself I've yet to understand._ The chain snapped in two, freeing the creature's legs.  _I'm not sure the humans understand me, either._  

 _Is that why they locked you away?_  

 _Probably. Humans are foolish. They would rather hide from what they do not understand_ _than embrace_ _it as a learning opportunity._ The creature began clawing at its mask, trying to find a weak spot.  _All this while I was supposed to simply accept their constant poking and prodding..._ _though I suppose I can't fault them for that. I am quite the novelty._  

Amélie reached out and attempted to assist the creature in freeing itself. The mask seemed to be sealed on to its face.  _No, no, stop._  The creature finally drew back, holding a hand out to stop Amélie. Amélie noticed it had a gaping hole in its palm that was leaking purple ooze.  _This will need to be removed in another way._  

The creature lowered its long, slender feet to the ground. Warping its body, it passed right through the maze of spikes and strode past Amélie, who was still on all fours on the floor. Amélie tried to mimic it, balancing on her own squishy feet. By observing the other creature's movements Amélie was able to somewhat successfully copy them. The two of them walked over to a series of cabinets at the far end of the room. 

 _They'd be stupid not to have cleared everything out of here._  The creature nonetheless latched its claws onto one of the cabinet door handles and pulled it open. It was empty.  _Of course._  

 _If I can make more acid, would that help?_  

 _Don't wear yourself out with it. I may need you later._  Its teeth were exposed again as it chuckled aloud. It then turned on a heel and marched back over to its ruined tank. Bending, it curled its fingers around the steel spike Amélie had melted off the metal cage that surrounded the tank.  _Besides, I can_ _probably_ _remove it myself._  

The spike was jutted up under the creature's chin, passing right through its goopy flesh. It used the spike to pry at the mask. With its free hand it began dripping its purple palm-ooze on the front of the mask and rubbing it in, presumably weakening the metal. Amélie watched with interest as the metal began to melt a little. The creature hissed as a part of the mask dissolved in on itself.  _Damn_ _...humans..._ Finally it pulled the spike out and tossed it aside.  _I'll have to melt it off._  

 _With that purple stuff?_  

 _No._   _In the_ _other rooms_ _. Find me this thing._  

One of its tentacles stretched out and latched on to Amélie's forehead. Suddenly Amélie had a mental image of an object, long and slender, with a tube attached to its base.  _Where would it be?_ she asked. 

 _I don't know. I don't know why I know what it is, even._  The creature chuckled, but its laughter did not sound maniacal or giddy that time.  _There are so many things I don't understand_ _._   

Utilizing it as an opportunity to practice walking, Amélie stumbled out into the hallway and made her way to another room on the opposite side of the hall. She poked her head into the room.  _Empty._  The same was true of the next few rooms, except that they were littered with ashes and debris instead. Eventually she made it all the way back to the room of her birth. There, on a desk in the far corner of the room, sat the object the creature sought. It was toppled over onto a pile of papers. Amélie's hands and fingers stuck to the papers as she slid them out of the way, leaving slime all over the front page. Ever curious, her eyes skimmed the paper. Printed on it was a weathered old photo of a tall, proud-looking woman in a lab coat shaking another human's hand while holding some sort of award. Someone had scrawled something over the formulas and other observational data transcribed on it.  

 ** _DNA_  ** ** _doesn't make the creature. Th_** ** _at_  ** ** _thing is not the woman who donated her body to science._  ** 

Amélie slid the first sheet over and looked at the one underneath it. Her gooey fingers settled on a picture printed on the second page. A young teenage girl with long brown hair and radiant golden eyes smiled up at her. The image stirred a strange mix of emotions in her. She pushed the other paper on top of it again and went for the desired object instead. 

The object was attached to a tank by some sort of tube. Amélie gave it a tug. With a hiss the tube came free. Something cold and invisible rushed out of the tank and made Amélie's eyes water. She grabbed the object up and hurried off with it. 

 _Thank you._  The creature immediately took the object from Amélie's hands when she re-entered the room. It held the object almost fondly, like one might hold a pet.  _Don't you just love laboratory equipment?_ _So_ _much learning potential, and yet, in the right hands, so dangerous._ It strode over to a tank hidden in the corner and plugged the tube in. A small blue flame ignited from the top of the thing. Amélie watched in amazement as the translucent little flame shifted about in a way that seemed almost ethereal. 

The creature reached a hand out to it. This hand had a hole in it as well, but a bright yellow ooze seeped from it instead. The ooze coated its fingers, and the flames burst to life, agitated by the mysterious fluid. The coating spread over its skin, followed immediately by fire. Amelie realized this was what she had seen the day she was born – this was definitively the shadow creature that had been hovering amidst the flames.  

The fire quickly engulfed both of the creature's arms. It threw them out to either side and cackled as its body blazed with an intense heat and blinding white light.  

The creature then buried its burning hands into the metal and grinned as it began to melt around them. Amélie noticed the fire did not look like how it did before. Now it had purple smoke boiling out of it.  _Our entire bodies are like dangerous chemical reactions._  

 _"_ _Ahahaha_ _!_ _"_ The creature peeled the metal off in chunks, flinging it to the floor in molten clumps. Soon its face was exposed – Amélie gasped. It was the woman from the photograph, or at least a clone of her.  

Upon freeing herself from her restraints the creature raised her head and grinned at Amélie, all of her large, pointy teeth showing then. Her eyes were of two different colors, and they had an inhuman glow to them. Around her blue eye a piece of the mask had seemingly melted to her flesh. She seemed not to even notice.  

"Free at last!" she exclaimed aloud. 

 _Can I talk, too?_ Amélie came up beside her and studied her curiously. There was a fairly large difference in their heights; the woman had at least a full head on Amélie. 

"Ha, who cares about that?  _I'm_ finally free!" The woman sauntered over to the door, her palms oozing those unstable chemicals. "Time to exact my revenge on all those... _humans_...maybe I'll study them, see how they like it..."  

Amélie followed her.  _Wait. You're going to leave me?_  

"I never said I would stay with you. I'm a free woman now. My eyes are open..." 

Something she had never felt before twisted in the pit of Amélie's goopy, experimental proto-stomach.  _I_ _don't want to be alone._  Regardless, she stopped walking, instead simply standing in the middle of the room, her dripping flesh the only sound as it collected on the floor by her feet.  

The creature was mostly out the door when her step visibly slowed. She cast a look back over her shoulder at Amélie, whose delicate shell of skin was beginning to dissolve as she lost focus on the physical over the emotional. "My God, look at you." The woman looked her up and down with visible disdain. "You're falling apart." 

 _I'm sorry._  She limped off to the corner of the room, trying to avoid the woman's disappointed stare.  _I don't think I was meant to be a miracle of life_   _after all._  

"Well, I never said that." With utter silence the woman was suddenly beside Amélie. "You're a pathetic little thing right now, but you did help me. Perhaps I could use an apprentice." 

 _I am falling apart. I can't even speak..._   

The woman wrapped her fingers around each of Amélie's weak wrists. From her left palm the strange yellow ooze seeped out and traveled up Amélie's arm. Everywhere it made contact her skin was restored, bonding with her semi-solid flesh to create a supple, skin-like exoskeleton. Eventually it traveled up her neck and into her mouth, momentarily gagging her. Something hardened inside her stomach, no longer leaving her feeling like a bag of leaky guts.  

"There. Try speaking now." 

Amélie hesitantly opened her mouth. To her surprise, nothing poured out of it. "Ah...?" She moved her tongue around, noting the way it changed her sounds. "I'm...speaking...?" 

The woman clapped her hands together. "Amazing! Your stomach hadn't formed properly. Hopefully my fix will hold – although it seems your form loses stability when in emotional distress as well. How interesting..." 

Amélie ran her tongue over her lips. They felt much more solid now. Her entire body did. "So what now?" 

"Well  _I'm_  going to make my way out of this building and then begin finding answers to my multitude of questions.  _You_  can do whatever you want." 

"You said you could use an appren...appren...tice." Her mouth was still learning how to form the words her mind already knew. 

The woman shook her head dramatically. "Oh no, I couldn't  _possibly_ ask such a thing of you. Not after you were kind enough to free me..." Examining her claws, she stole a glance over at Amélie. "I mean, unless you  _wanted_  to." 

"I don't want to be alone. I don't know anything about the world." 

A slow grin spread across the woman's face. "Then I suppose we'll learn together." Grabbing Amélie by the wrist, she pulled her out the door. "For your first lesson, watch  _this._ " 

She pressed her palms together, then slowly drew them apart. Between them crackled a ball of swirling purple and yellow. With a wicked laugh she thrust both palms forward. A gigantic beam of her chemical secretions, massive in size and energy, blasted outward. The metal door locking them in dented and began to melt under its concentrated power – and with one good push Amélie was able to knock it down.  

The woman took hold of her again and pulled her clear off the ground. "Come now, my faithful assistant!" Her ear-to-ear grin was equal parts exciting and terrifying. "Let's see the world." 

**Author's Note:**

> I got thinking about this AU after writing Moira and Amelie in Crusader. This fic is an exploration of what their origins were like, how they came to be what they are in that universe.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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